Wayne Gabb is the man behind
South African newcomer Lomond, a joint venture with Distell. I met
up with him to look at his wines and generally engage in a bit of
nerdy wine talk.

Wayne's background is in fruit
growing. Before Lomond came along, he farmed apples and pears in
Elgin for 16 years, and he comes across as an immensely practical
sort of guy – just what you'd want for establishing a new
vineyard from scratch.

What are the business
arrangements behind Lomond? Lomond Properties owns the vineyards,
and the development of the land and making of the wines is the
responsibility of Lomond Wines, a partnership with Distell that
allows Lomond to tap into a significant bank of expertise, cellar
space and marketing and distribution clout. Let's remember here
that Distell control 70% of the domestic market in South Africa.

Lomond chose Agulhas, the most
southerly point of the Cape, as their location. It's near Elim, in
the southern-most wine producing region in Africa. Located 8 km
from the ocean, the main influence here is maritime breezes, which
typically run from 20 to 40 km/h. This is the coolest ripening
area in South Africa, with average temperatures of 19.2 C during
the ripening period.

Lots of work was done before
planting, which started in 1999. The entire farm is a sizeable 800
hectares, with 100 hectares now planted, and the potential for
this to rise to 440 hectares. Before planting, profile holes were
dug every 50 metres, and soil analysis was carried out. In tandem
with GPS measurements, these data were used to build a map of the
soils throughout the property.

This survey identified 18
different soil types, which can vary even over scales as small as
20 metres. No irrigation is usually needed here because rainfall
is good. Prior to planting Wayne used a D9 bulldozer to
deep-plough the vineyards to 1.2 m, which was necessary to break
up the compact layers in the soil.

Wayne recalls that ostriches were
a big problem in establishing the vineyards. The solution? They
were shot at 150 m, and made into biltong. A further difficulty
was water. While the vines don't need irrigation once they've
established themselves, it's needed to get them going. In order to
get planning permission to plant, Gabb made a deal with the local
authorities. First he agreed to construct a huge lake, that runs
for 3.5 km and occupies 108 hectares. This is larger than the farm
needs, and agreement was entered into with the local municipality
to allow them annual rights to 2 million cubic litres of water. A
full environmental impact study was carried out, showing that the
dam and lake have enhanced the local wildlife rather than destroy
it.

BEE (black ecomonic empowerment)
is an issue at the forefront of South African consciousness, and
Lomond have done their bit, purchasing the property next door, a
79 hectare farm called Uylenkraal, for this purpose. Farm workers
have a 58% share in this venture, which currently has 12 hectares
of vines. It is managed as a trust.

Overall, seven varieties are
planted at Lomond. The most significant are Shiraz, Merlot and
Sauvignon Blanc, with a bit of Viognier, Nouvelle (a white variety
that is a crossing of Semillon and Crouchen Blanc, grown for its
strong grassy aromas), Semillon and Mourvedre. So far the range
consists of single vineyard wines (Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz) as
well as an Estate series of varietal wines. Initial signs are very
promising indeed.

First, two single-vineyard
Sauvignon Blanc wines have been made from adjoining 3 hectare
blocks with different soil types in each: the Pincushion and
Sugarbush. Consistent differences have carried through the first
two vintages, even though viticultural and winemaking practices
are exactly the same.

Lomond Pincushion Sauvignon
Blanc 2006 Cape AgulhasAgain, there's a fresh, bright, grassy nose, but with a bit
more fruitiness. The palate is broader, but still fresh and
bright. French clone SB 159 is used here, which yields flavours of
fig and tropical fruits.

Lomond Merlot 2005 Cape
AgulhasA whole range of clones and practices were employed to make
this wine. It has smooth red fruits on the nose, which is a bit
spicy and chocolatey. The palate has some structure and is very
elegant with a bit of spiciness. Really lovely: one of the best
South African Merlots Ifve had. Very good/excellent 91/100

Lomond Syrah 2005 Cape AgulhasSoft, smooth and sweetly fruited, with some chocolatey
richness. Very stylish and smooth with lovely concentration and
smooth tannins. Soft but dense. A lovely elegant modern-styled red
wine, with attractive peppery freshness to the fruit. Very
good/excellent 93/100